Qatari emir in a solidarity visit to Gaza
Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khaleifa al-Thani paid a visit on Sunday to Gaza, the first by a leader of an Arab Gulf state to the Palestinian self-rule territories.
Sheikh Hamad, who arrived in Gaza on board his private plane leading a high-ranking Qatari delegation, asserted the right of the Palestinian people to establish a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as a capital.
In a statement he said that his visit to Gaza falls in the course of "solidarity of the state of Qatar with the friendly Palestinian people and as an assertion of our continued backing of the Palestinians to restore back their lands and unwavering rights, foremost being self determination and the establishment of the independent Palestinian state on the Palestinian native soil with Jerusalem as a capital."
He reiterated his call on Israel "to abide by the call advocated by the international community to implement all commitments in the framework of the peace process."
In a joint press conference with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, Sheikh Hamad said: "Our relations are old and will stay strong. We have come to the state of Palestine with hope that the peace process will continue." He added, "We been with the Palestinian people since the al-Nakba (when Palestine was usurped in 1948). Our backing to the Palestinians are being continuous and will be so, if the almighty God will."
Arafat expressed his great happiness over the visit of Sheikh Hamad, saying, "This is a brotherly and good touch from the prince to come and visit Palestine, a visit which means a lot on the political, national, Arab and Islamic levels."
Sheikh Hamad asserted the importance of the Syrian and Lebanese tracks, saying, "Just and durable peace in the region cannot be attained without a Just solutions based on international legitimacy resolutions."
Meanwhile, Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Abdullah Bin Khaleifa al-Thani opened in the presence of Palestinian officials a headquarters affiliated to the Islamic university in Gaza.
The new headquarters was erected using a Qatari financial donation estimated at US $600,000.
The ruler of Qatar, on the other hand, also met with representatives of the Palestinian opposition forces, including Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, the founder of the Hamas movement."